Clinical Significance of Rhinoviruses and Progress Toward Vaccination.

Abstract

Rhinoviruses (RVs) are the most frequent viral causes of respiratory infections worldwide and contribute substantially to a spectrum of respiratory diseases, including wheezing, asthma, and lower respiratory tract illnesses throughout the lifespan. Despite their substantial disease burden, vaccine development for RVs has been hindered for decades due to extensive serotypic diversity and limited cross-reactive immune responses. However, recent progress in structural virology, immune profiling, and antigen discovery─particularly through peptide array mapping and the identification of conserved neutralizing epitopes─has revived interest in the design of RV vaccines. Novel strategies targeting conserved B cell capsid domains, conserved T cell epitopes, and high-valent vaccine formulations have shown promise in preclinical models. This review summarizes the current understanding of RV infection epidemiology, risk stratification for early vaccine prioritization, and evolving vaccine development strategies, while highlighting critical gaps and the growing scientific momentum toward clinical translation. With continued innovation, RV vaccination may become a viable strategy to mitigate the longstanding and pervasive global health burden of RV infection.